1988 South Pacific cyclone season
Cyclone Anne 1988
Cyclone Anne crossed the southwest Pacific in January 1988, damaging islands from the Solomons to New Caledonia. Its strongest phase occurred west of Vanuatu before a southward turn brought prolonged storm conditions to New Caledonia.
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161 mph
Jan 11, 1988 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Southwest through the Pacific islands
Anne was first noted northeast of Tuvalu in early January, developing alongside the future Typhoon Roy in the Northern Hemisphere. It moved southwest and was named on 8 January. Rapid intensification followed as the cyclone approached Vanuatu.
Peak archived one-minute winds reached 140 kt on 11 January. Anne then turned south and struck New Caledonia. Interaction with nearby Cyclone Agi contributed to its later weakening, and the circulation ended southeast of New Caledonia on 14 January.
Wind, surge and heavy rain
Several Solomon Islands reported extensive crop and property damage. In Vanuatu, heavy rain, flooding and surge damaged houses and crops, particularly in the Torres Islands and Ureparapara.
New Caledonia endured prolonged storm-force winds and heavy rainfall, with the eastern and southern coasts especially affected. Two people died while attempting to cross a flooded river, and about 80 were injured. Anne's name was retired after the storm.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Anne in brief
What was Cyclone Anne's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Jan 11, 1988, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Cyclone Anne?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Jan 11, 1988, 12:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Cyclone Anne's lowest pressure?
925 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Jan 11, 1988, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Cyclone Anne occur?
The archived track runs from Jan 5, 1988, 12:00 PM UTC to Jan 14, 1988, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Jan 6, 1988, 12:00 AM UTC to Jan 14, 1988, 12:00 AM UTC.
Where did Cyclone Anne form?
In the South Pacific basin, in the 1988 season. Its first archived position is 4.9°S, 177.6°W on Jan 5, 1988, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Cyclone Anne make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 78 mph on Jan 12, 1988, 09:00 PM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology